Marketing Management and Strategy

Description

Following on from a successful submission of a group strategic marketing plan, you have now been assigned to generate a report on the  viability of a product/service (you may choose the product/service used in the group assessment or a new one of your choice). A  viability report focuses on the suitability of the market. You must use at least  two named tools/models/concepts such as (and not limited to) competitor analysis, market segmentation and value proposition. You should discuss the principles of marketing management and strategies reflecting on the challenges of the modern world with  consideration of the UN SDGs. Finally, you must support your work with concrete and  specific examples and strategic marketing management theories/models/concepts with reference to  recent and current events (within the last 5 - 10 years).

Instructions

· Template: The strategic viability report should make use of appropriate tools and frameworks and include relevant elements from the  following template: 

CoverPage ( excluded from the word count) should include the Module name and number (BU52008 Marketing Management & Strategy, Student name and ID number, Title of the assignment (Viability Report) and the Final word count.

Table of Contents ( excluded from the word count) should include the full list of sections within the report (including any appendices and reference lists), the page number on which each section begins, a List of Illustrations (if applicable), a List of Figures (if applicable), List of Tables (if applicable).

Executive Summary which is a short overview of the finished report.

Introduction and Brief Background, with reference to the chosen product and the marketplace, the target customer/market, the customer needs it satisfies, the value proposition, the unique selling point. 

Analysis which critically analyses the competition, segmentation, value creation and any risks taken.

Recommendations based on the previous analysis highlighting the associations to existing  real-life examples from the industry you chose. 

Conclusion which addresses the question and provides a final view in consideration of the principles of marketing management and strategy.

Appendices (if applicable –  excluded from the word count)

Reference List ( excluded from the word count)

· Focus: Evidence of evaluation, suitability of the market and awareness and engagement with academic literature and sources are required. It is also expected that students will use  examples of organisations as case studies, strategic marketing management  theories, models and concepts with reference to  current events, to make the coursework stand out such as marketing strategies that have been successful or led to failure. 

· UN SDGs: The report should consider and highlight the impact and contribution to achieving  one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

· Word count: The word count for the report should not exceed  3000 words. The word count excludes cover page, table of contents, tables and figures, footnotes, references and appendices, i.e. supporting documentation. A 10% lenience (300 words) will be tolerated.

· Specs: The plan should be professionally presented and double-checked for spelling errors and typos, using  size 12 Times New Roman or Arial or Calibri font,  justified, with 1.5 line  spacing. Please use an appropriate report layout (including table of contents, page numbers, headings, figures& tables, organisation of paragraphs).

· Writing style: Use a business report style, should be written professionally with evidence of clear structure/format & layout throughout the report.

· Appendices: You may include appendices if necessary.

· Referencing: You are expected to refer to academic sources (reputable journal articles, books) as well as other non-academic materials (market reports, company reports, news articles). All material used within the assignment that comes from another source (e.g. reference material, theories, frameworks and concepts utilised, company information, news) must be appropriately  referenced. You should use  Harvard Style referencing. Ensure the report is correctly referenced. Plagiarism will be penalised – please refer to the  Code of Practice on Academic Misconduct. To familiarise yourself with what plagiarism is and how to avoid it, you may also refer to the Macmillanresource at  www.citethemrightonline.com

Marking criteria

We expect your work to demonstrate the core principles of marketing management and strategies reflecting on the challenges of the modern world. 

A number of case studies are also expected to be used as  particular examples from recent and current events to demonstrate the application of theory and academic thinking. 

The following is the rubric with the marking criteria to be used:

	A (23-19)	B (18-16)	C (15-13)	D (12-10)	Fail
Presentation & Referencing	All components present, clear introduction, viewpoints and interpretations are insightful and well supported. Reads as exceptionally open and cohesive self-analysis and application of learning. Full adherence to Harvard Referencing and citing. Evidence of extensive reading around the topic.	Minor issues with the components, lacks detail, limited introduction. Viewpoints and interpretations are insightful and supported. Full adherence to Harvard Referencing and citing. Evidence of wider reading around the topic.	Missing components, limited or no introduction. Limited viewpoints and interpretations are general with limited support. Sporadic Harvard Referencing. Mistakes in citing. Evidence of some reading around the topic.	Many components missing. No viewpoints, little original thought and Interpretation. Difficult to follow/read. Poor referencing, including in-text citations. Limited evidence of wider reading.	Clearly incomplete layout, poor structure. No originality and poor expression of arguments. Hard to follow, incoherent. Minimal or no referencing/citing, no application of Harvard Style. Poor evidence or reading widely.
Suitability of the market	There is a strong, well-supported statement describing the target segment, to present a clearly described context for the report	There is a well-supported statement describing the target segment, to present a clear context for the report	There is a weakly described target segment and context in the report	There are scarce evidence of a target segment or no context in the report	Very poor justification or demonstration of understanding about target segments and their suitability.
Consideration of theoretical tools/models including principles of marketing management and strategies	Excellent use of a variety of tools to support competitor analysis, market segmentation or value proposition Excellent use of core principles demonstrating in-depth reflection and personalisation of the theories, concepts, and/or strategies presented in the course materials	Very good use of a variety of tools to support competitor analysis, market segmentation or value proposition Or, Excellent use of one tool only. Very good use of core principles demonstrating in-depth reflection and personalisation of the theories, concepts, and/or strategies presented in the course materials	Good use of one tool to support competitor analysis, market segmentation or value proposition Or, Minimal use of a variety of tools. Good use of core principles demonstrating in-depth reflection and personalisation of the theories, concepts, and/or strategies presented in the course materials	No tools used to support competitor analysis, market segmentation or value proposition. Limited or lack of core principles demonstrating in-depth reflection and personalisation of the theories, concepts, and/or strategies presented in the course materials	Purely speculative approach without reference to theoretical backing by models, theories and concepts related to marketing management and strategy.
Specific examples with reference to recent and current events	Explicit and clear reference and consideration of the impact of current and recent events project forward. Clear, detailed examples are provided, as applicable.	General reference and consideration of the impact of current and recent events project forward. A few examples present.	Limited reference and consideration of the impact of current and recent events. No examples given.	Poor reference to current events without successful examples to evidence the claims.	No reference to any recent events or any relevant real-life examples.
UN SDGs	Explicit inclusion and consideration of more than one SDGs	Reference to one or more SDGs without explicit identification of how they are being addressed	Minimal referencing to sustainability and application of one or more SDGs	Unclear and implied reference to any specific SDGs.	UN SDGs not even mentioned or considered.